Ronnie Ash facts for kids
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality |  American |
||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | July 2, 1988 Passaic, New Jersey |
||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 207 lbs | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Running | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 110 metres hurdles | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Bethune-Cookman Wildcats and Oklahoma Sooners | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Ronnie Ash (born July 2, 1988) is an American athlete who specializes in hurdles. Hurdles are races where runners jump over barriers. Ronnie is one of the fastest hurdlers ever. On June 29, 2014, he ran the 110 metres hurdles in 12.99 seconds. This amazing time put him into a special group of athletes called the "sub-13 club." It means he finished the race in under 13 seconds. He is currently the 17th fastest hurdler in history for this event.
Later in 2014, Ronnie won a silver medal at the 2014 IAAF Continental Cup. He was chosen for the team because his time was one of the best in the Americas that season. In 2016, Ronnie made it to the Olympic final. He was close to winning a medal but stumbled over the last hurdle. He was later disqualified from the race.
Ronnie's Athletic Journey
Starting Hurdles in High School
Ronnie Ash was born in Passaic, New Jersey. He started hurdling when he was in high school. He moved to Knightdale High School in Knightdale, North Carolina, for his senior year. He didn't have much sports experience before that. The basketball coach and track coach, David Castell, encouraged him to join the track team. Ronnie joined because he thought he could meet new people. It turned out to be a great decision!
He quickly became very good at track. He set new school records in the 110 metres hurdles, 300 meters hurdles, and the high jump. After graduating in 2008, he got to compete in the 2008 NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics. There, he won a bronze medal. He finished behind two future world champions, Jason Richardson and Ryan Brathwaite.
College Success and Championships
Ronnie didn't plan to go to college after high school. But he received an offer from Bethune-Cookman University. At Bethune-Cookman, he became a champion. As a sophomore, he won both the 2009 NCAA Men's Indoor Track and Field Championship and the NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship. He even beat Jason Richardson in the outdoor championship.
The next year, Ronnie moved to the University of Oklahoma. He continued his success there. He won the indoor championship again. He also finished third in the outdoor championship. A few weeks later, he placed third at the 2010 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
That summer, he returned to the 2010 NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics. This time, he won a gold medal. He finished ahead of Ryan Brathwaite, who was the world champion at the time. In that race, Ronnie ran a time of 12.98 seconds. The wind was too strong for it to count as an official record. But it showed everyone how fast he could be!
